diff -up eel-2.24.0/eel/eel-background.c.fade eel-2.24.0/eel/eel-background.c
--- eel-2.24.0/eel/eel-background.c.fade	2008-09-08 17:26:14.000000000 -0400
+++ eel-2.24.0/eel/eel-background.c	2008-10-04 17:09:02.000000000 -0400
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #define GNOME_DESKTOP_USE_UNSTABLE_API
 #include <libgnomeui/gnome-bg.h>
+#include <gdk/gdkx.h>
+
+#include <cairo-xlib.h>
 
 static void       eel_background_class_init                (gpointer       klass);
 static void       eel_background_init                      (gpointer       object,
@@ -78,6 +81,7 @@ struct EelBackgroundDetails {
 	/* Realized data: */
 	gboolean background_changes_with_size;
 	GdkPixmap *background_pixmap;
+	GnomeBGCrossfade *fade;
 	int background_entire_width;
 	int background_entire_height;
 	GdkColor default_color;
@@ -182,6 +186,11 @@ eel_background_finalize (GObject *object
 	background = EEL_BACKGROUND (object);
 
 	g_free (background->details->color);
+	if (background->details->fade != NULL) {
+		gnome_bg_crossfade_stop (background->details->fade);
+		g_object_unref (background->details->fade);
+		background->details->fade = NULL;
+	}
 	eel_background_remove_current_image (background);
 
 	if (background->details->background_pixmap != NULL) {
@@ -610,6 +619,26 @@ eel_background_reset (EelBackground *bac
 	g_signal_emit (GTK_OBJECT (background), signals[RESET], 0);
 }
 
+static gboolean
+fade_to_pixmap (EelBackground *background,
+		 GdkWindow     *window,
+		 GdkPixmap     *pixmap)
+{
+	if (background->details->fade == NULL) {
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+
+	if (!gnome_bg_crossfade_set_end_pixmap (background->details->fade,
+				                pixmap)) {
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+
+	if (!gnome_bg_crossfade_is_started (background->details->fade))
+		gnome_bg_crossfade_start (background->details->fade, window, NULL);
+
+	return gnome_bg_crossfade_is_started (background->details->fade);
+}
+
 static void
 eel_background_set_up_widget (EelBackground *background, GtkWidget *widget)
 {
@@ -644,14 +673,15 @@ eel_background_set_up_widget (EelBackgro
 	} else {
 		window = widget->window;
 	}
-
-	if (!changes_with_size || background->details->is_desktop) {
-		gdk_window_set_back_pixmap (window, pixmap, FALSE);
-	} else {
-		gdk_window_set_back_pixmap (window, NULL, FALSE);
-		gdk_window_set_background (window, &color);
+	if (background->details->fade == NULL ||
+	    !fade_to_pixmap (background, window, pixmap)) {
+		if (!changes_with_size || background->details->is_desktop) {
+			gdk_window_set_back_pixmap (window, pixmap, FALSE);
+		} else {
+			gdk_window_set_back_pixmap (window, NULL, FALSE);
+			gdk_window_set_background (window, &color);
+		}
 	}
-	
 
 	background->details->background_changes_with_size =
 		gnome_bg_changes_with_size (background->details->bg);
@@ -679,6 +709,19 @@ eel_background_set_up_widget (EelBackgro
 static void
 eel_widget_background_changed (GtkWidget *widget, EelBackground *background)
 {
+	if (GTK_WIDGET_REALIZED (widget)) {
+		if (background->details->fade == NULL) {
+			int width, height;
+			gdk_drawable_get_size (widget->window, &width, &height);
+			background->details->fade = gnome_bg_crossfade_new (width, height);
+		}
+
+		if (!gnome_bg_crossfade_is_started (background->details->fade)) {
+			gnome_bg_crossfade_set_start_pixmap (background->details->fade,
+							     background->details->background_pixmap);
+		}
+	}
+
 	eel_background_unrealize (background);
 	eel_background_set_up_widget (background, widget);
 
@@ -745,7 +788,13 @@ widget_realize_cb (GtkWidget *widget, gp
 	background = EEL_BACKGROUND (data);
 
 	widget_realized_setup (widget, data);
-		
+
+	if (background->details->fade != NULL) {
+		gnome_bg_crossfade_stop (background->details->fade);
+		g_object_unref (background->details->fade);
+		background->details->fade = NULL;
+	}
+
 	eel_background_set_up_widget (background, widget);
 }
 
